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Leigh Bodden signs 4 year contract extension with Detroit, immediately admitted for psychiatric observation
Though the Detroit Lions aren’t a winning organization, when NFL careers are short, and injures one play away, I can understand why players go for the money. When you’re 50 years old, never winning a Super Bowl doesn’t mean nearly so much when you have a large amount of money in the bank. Today, Leigh Bodden will be able to drive to the bank in a Brinks truck.
The Lions announced this afternoon that Bodden, the cornerback received in the Shaun Rogers trade, has agreed to a 4 year contract extension. The deal is worth $27 million. Bodden will receive a $2 million signing bonus this season, and…get this…an $8.6 million roster bonus in 2009.
Not that Bodden will see all of that $27 million…
As we all know, many NFL players never see all of the cash supposedly owed them, thanks to the non-guaranteeded nature of their contracts. Impressive long-term deals can quickly tune into much shorter one when there’s a salary cap. The Lions can get out from under what could be a massive cap hit by cutting Bodden after the season. In order to stay on the roster, Bodden will have to have one Hell of an ‘08 season with the Lions.
So as solid as the defensive backfield looks going into this season, the Lions may be looking for a starting corner AGAIN in ‘09.
Seems like a pretty decent deal from the Lions perspective though. If Bodden actually stays healthy and produces (granted, a BIG if), it’s a reasonable contract for a top cornerback. If he doesn’t, then it doesn’t hurt the cap much.
July 26th, 2008 at 11:25 am